LAWRENCE — Parker Higgins and the Lawrence football team took out two weeks of frustrations on Bangor.
Higgins ran for 208 yards and four touchdowns on a mere seven carries as the Bulldogs dismantled the Rams 58-6 to earn their first win in front of a lively Homecoming crowd Friday night at Pete Cooper Stadium at Keyes Field.
Evading Bangor defenders with some shifty moves, Higgins ran for scores of 26, 52, 25 and 59 yards before Lawrence coach John Hersom inserted his backups midway through the third quarter. The senior also caught two passes for 30 yards and ran for a 2-point conversion.
“He’s highlight-type kid sometimes,” 17th-year Lawrence coach John Hersom said. “Defenses don’t corral him. He’s a big returning player for us, so we hope we can use him that way and he can lead us on offense. In open space, he can make people miss.”
Even on the rare occasions he was tackled, Higgins dragged defenders in his direction, such as in the second quarter, when a Bangor stop close to the line of scrimmage turned into a 6-yard gain.
Higgins made it look so easy, he was starting to get bored after a while.
“A little repetitive, but the guys up front … there were a couple plays I didn’t get touched, so it goes out to them,” he said. “It’s good we had good running room like that, and we had to make something of it.”
Left tackle Hunter Lee, left guard Izcek Spaulding, center Gavin Gerow, right guard Cam Dostie and right tackle Cam Stewart paved the way for Higgins and backfield mate Tate Scott, who added 93 yards and two TDs on just four carries.
“It’s awesome (blocking for them), especially when you look up and see them untouched,” Lee, a co-captain, said. “It’s the best feeling ever.”
In a near-perfect display of offensive efficiency, Lawrence scored on three of its first four offensive plays, beginning with Scott’s 69-yard run down the right sideline with 7:34 left in the first quarter. Higgins added two touchdowns, and quarterback Michael Hamlin threw a 24-yard TD rainbow to towering tight end Lucas Campbell to make it 27-0 after one quarter. After another TD apiece from Higgins and Scott, the Bulldogs were up 39-0 going into halftime, having scored on six of their first 19 plays.
A pair of decisive losses to Class B foes Skowhegan and Windham to open the season had Lawrence in an ornery mood all week as Class A Bangor awaited.
“It was a good team effort today; actually it started this past Monday in practice, when we got back to business,” Hersom said. “I’m just really proud of their effort and taking care of the details this week, so we could come out and perform tonight.
“It was a frustrating start to the last couple weeks where we didn’t have the answers to get in the win column.”
Lawrence’s Brandon Littlefield and Colton Carter added second-half touchdowns.
Bangor backup QB Teddy Stephenson dashed 47 yards for a TD midway through the fourth quarter to end the shutout bid. Jack Schuck was 9-for-21 passing for 61 yards for Bangor (0-3). Teammate Mason Knights ran for 30 yards on seven carries.
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